For me, the image of Russia was strongly influenced by two poles which were provided by literature : on the one hand, Tolstoy, the fox and wolf hunts and endless, snow-covered steppes and sleigh drive, palaces and glittering balls.

And on the other hand, the Dostoievsky image: hysteria, profundity, people who are constantly occupied with philosophy and buttonhole or kill each other at every opportunity, challenge one another to duels and are incapable of conversation without very soon bringing up God and ultimate things.

On the one hand, Russian literature – on the other, everyday life in Omsk.